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NOVEMBER
11, 2015

MICK
ABRAHAMS – REVIVED! (ALBUM REVIEW)

Imagine
being a seventy-one year-old stroke survivor that wants to get a garage band
together with some old friends met while doing a day job. Now imagine, that day
job was being the original guitarist for the legendary Rock groups Jethro Tull
and Blodwyn Pig, the garage is Echo Studios in Buckingham England, and those
friends are some of the best studio and concert musicians from the past fifty
years of Rock and R&B. Then one would be Mick Abrahams, and the result of
that garage jam would be the album, Revived!.
A legendary player, the title of the new record release via Gonzo Multimedia is
nod towards that fact that Abrahams survived a stroke to produce one of the
finest collections of music to come out in 2015.

All
of the songs on Revived! were
chosen by Abrahams because, as he stated, “I like them and have always wanted to
play them.” Furthermore, half of the album’s proceeds will be donated to benefit
Kinds ‘n’ Cancer UK- A Pathway to Life.Purchasers of the physical album
receive a DVD that has thirty minutes of behind the scenes video. They also will
get a cover that is entertaining in its own right with Monty Pythonesque notes
on the music legends that accompany him. Joining in that garage on this
seventeen track record, is a host of musicians that include: Bill Wyman—yes that
Bill Wyman, Martin Barre—Abraham’s successor at Jethro Tull, Bernie
Marsden—Whitesnake’s guitarist, Paul Jones—singer for Manfred Mann, Mark
Feltham—harmonica master, Beverley Skeete—singer for the Rhythm Kings, Josh
Philips—Procol Harem’s organist, Jim Rodford—longtime Kinks drummer, Elliott
Randall—guitarist for Steely Dan and, many others too numerous to list, and too
talented to dismiss as not having enough of a pedigree. There are no weak
members in this fine cast of musicians.

The
album is bookended by different, albeit extremely similar, versions of the
Blodwyn Pig heavy-blues song, “Summer Days.” The only discernible difference is
the use of a Hammond organ on the album’s closing version. This gives the song a
fuller feel when compared to the opening. Both are good, displaying the same
excellent guitar and bass work found throughout the album, either would have
been a solid contribution to the collection. Including both seems to be filling
space as it is hard to believe they could not find another unique song to add
instead.

The
second song, “What About Us,” is a fun upbeat tune. Sung as a duet, the singers
lament that they are less fortunate than an unnamed acquaintance. It is
reminiscent of a playful diddy that would have been heard on the mid ’70s AM
radio show, Dr. Demento’s. There is a nice use of saxophone and bass vocal to
punctuate the song’s lyrics about their feelings. The songwriter may have missed
an opportunity with the repeated chorus, would have preferred for each
repetition to be unique in some way. It is an odd, but enjoyable tune.

Next
up is a live recording titled, “Elz & Abys Jam.” Abrahams makes good use of
the talented ensemble of performers and musicians at his disposal. With a full
horn section backing, this instrumental piece is a nice mixture of swing and
blues giving it a big band feel. Upon first reading the title of the next song,
“On The Road Again,” one might expect to hear a cover of the Willie Nelson tune
about life on tour. Two bars in, we discover it is the version made famous by
Canned Heat during the 1969 Woodstock musical festival. Abrahams had said about
his choices for what to include on the album, “There are some lovely old songs
which I’ve just taken with no rhyme or reason other than the fact that I like
them…” This song must be one of those. The distinctive bass and harmonica line
catches the listener immediately, but the lyrics seem to follow notes selected
at random with little regard to those being laid down in the background. It is a
classic song, covered well by Abrahams.

Moving
right along, next is a cover of “Nadine,” an old time Rock-n-Roll born of the
Blues at its finest. The guitar solo evokes memories of Chuck Berry skip-walking
across the stage. The sax work is exemplary, a perfect homage to the early
rocker whose background was in the Blues, and is a perfect lead into the next
song. “Remember” is a rocking good Blues song. With only three lines of lyrics,
sung only once, the music lets a virtuoso harmonica, and a lead guitar sing the
rest. A good harmonica player is like a magician. There is no earthly way that a
small box made of wood and metal should be able to produce music that can be so
soulful. But it does, and the magic happens here, making it one of the best
songs on the album.

Another
good Blues song is a cover of Johnny Kidd and the Pirate’s, “I Can Tell.” More
up-tempo than the last song, the lyrics are pure blues with a beat to match.
“I’m A Hog for You” is up next and it is one of two songs on the album sung
beautifully by the talented Beverly Skeet, a singer in Bill Wyman’s band, Rhythm
Kings. Although the words to the children’s nursery rhyme “This Little Piggy”
are drastically different than anyone has ever heard, it does not distract from
the enjoyment of the performance. The bluesy “Bright Lights Big City” has a
slow, almost dragging pace which emphasize a deep feel to it that is punctuated
with more excellent soulful harmonica and guitar work.

This
is followed by the string instrumental “Dragonfly.” The slow, perfectly
executed, guitar picking is a wonderful addition to the album. There is applause
at the end which is richly deserved, although the tune is a bit short. The next
few songs are covers of old Rock songs. Larry Williams’ hit from 1957, “Boney
Moronie” follows and it has a sax heavy ’50s vibe that fans of Swing style music
will enjoy this tune. Originally written in 1908, the folksy “Goodnight Irene”
slows down the tempo with nicely melded harmonies accentuate this rendition of a
classic staple. From 1959, the audience is then hears Skeet’s return for The
Coaster’s hit “Poison Ivy.” Coincidentally, the B-side of the single was Skeet’s
other contribution to this record. The arrangement is refreshing, Skeet is the
perfectly singer for this version with back-up singers adding the icing on this
musical cake.

The
twangy guitar and harmonica instrumental opening of “Red River Rock,” transports
the listener to a campfire in the old west, eating beans from a tin cup with
Mongo and the rest of the posse. The song’s main theme builds to a crescendo,
breaks, and the repeats. Build to crescendo, repeat, Build to a crescendo,
repeat… Listen to it once and one is set for life. Although it does sound like
it was a lot of fun for the players, it does get tedious for the casual
listener. Another well played and nicely arranged Blues song is the slow-tempo
instrumental “North By North West.” The guitar work is masterly performed by
master musicians. The final cover is from the 1963 Johnny Kidd and The Pirates
hit “Hungry For Love” and it It has an R&B Country feel that melds lyrics
and guitar seamlessly together in a song. This evokes memories of the early days
when rock was still forming into the music that has changed a generation.Revived! closes
with the better of the two versions of Blodwyn Pig’s “Summer Days,” which
includes the Hammond organ.

Revived! contains
an incredible mix of Rock and Blues that fans of this music will love. It may
very well change the mind of those who are not already enchanted by the sound of
musicians at the top of the food chain. Music lovers should just close their
eyes, sit back, and lose themselves in the music and rhythm. CrypticRock
gives Revived! 4
out of 5 stars.

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